


Masquerade

by ProfessionalCatFan (idemandahug)



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akira has a Palace, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Palaces (Persona 5), Shadows (Persona 4), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 07:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10849761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idemandahug/pseuds/ProfessionalCatFan
Summary: It's impossible for a normal Persona-user to develop a Palace. But what about someone with more than one Persona?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! First time writing a Persona 5 fic, yeah! I can only hope everyone's in-character, or at least close to a semblance of being in-character.  
> This is a fanfic where Akira has a Palace. This mostly follows my own personal headcanons on Akira's personality and backstory. In terms of time placement I'd say they've just cleared Shido's Palace but Shido hasn't confessed his crimes yet. I'd also say all the party members are at rank 9-ish, but Akira hasn't entered a romantic relationship with anyone.  
> This will go over a few chapters but it won't be a long fic. At this point some stuff hasn't been revealed yet and some details have been purposely left out. I guess you could say it's one of those stories where things are more confusing in the beginning until you get more information later. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

For the first time, Akira has a proper family: a home. People who love him, and who he loves in return. Sure, they bicker, they even argue, but after everything they’ve been through, the bonds connecting them are strong. Akira is thankful he was able to meet them—they are truly kind people.

He thought his parents were kind once. They showed interest in his life over dinner and praised him for good grades. At get-together’s they would boast about their son to successful friends and Akira would swell with pride.

But his arrest brought out a different side to them. The first thing out of his mother’s mouth as she sobbed into her hands was, “What will the neighbours think?” Suddenly, the only thing that mattered was appearances. As if he wasn’t even there, his parents discussed moving somewhere else—not for his sake, but so they wouldn’t have to face judging eyes. Not once did his parents ask if he was okay. Not once did they believe he was innocent.

It was then Akira realised he was their son only when it was convenient.

His parents didn’t fight the court ruling: if anything, they seemed relieved. They made plans to ship him off to some stranger, and that was that. No one asked how Akira felt about this arrangement, but by that point he wasn’t surprised.

They saw him off at the train station. It was a small kindness, too little and far too late. His father awkwardly ruffled his hair with a tight face and told him not to make things difficult for Sakura-san.

“It’s for the best,” he said.

Akira simply nodded and turned to step onto the train, his bag swinging and hitting his hip, his new school uniform crisp and uncomfortable. It was the uniform for the school he’d be attending—he couldn’t remember the name. His parents thought wearing the uniform early would leave a good impression on Sakura-san. He’d look like someone eager to learn and make a fresh start. Akira felt like he was donning a prison uniform.

As he crossed the threshold, someone grabbed his sleeve. His mother. She stared at him with big, pleading eyes. He wondered what she was going to say. Maybe, “Take care,” or “I’m sorry,” or “You don’t have to go,” or even a simple, “I love you”—

“Don’t cause any more trouble. Just keep your head down and stay out of other people’s business.”

Then the doors slid shut with a beep, and the train took Akira away.

He remembers finding a seat rather quickly. Sighing, he leaned back and watched the world speed by.

In the end, he was only an ornament. The moment he bore a crack, he was thrown away.

Fine. If they could get rid of him, then he could do the same. He didn’t need them in his heart.

But now, Akira’s happy. He knows his place in the world: it’s standing side by side with the other Phantom Thieves, his friends. …No, they’re more than that. The Phantom Thieves are his family.

And he would do anything for his family.

* * *

 

“Joker! Look out!”

Joker has barely any time to react before he’s roughly shoved to the side. Standing in his place is Skull, who yells in agony as the jaws of a shadow close over his shoulder. Everything stops. Joker stops breathing as Skull falls limp. He’s only faintly aware of the cries of his teammates.

“Skull! Skull, hang in there!” That’s Panther. Despite her usual clashes with Skull, she is the first one to react. She kneels at his side, quickly joined by Fox and Noir.

“This is bad… Skull’s health is really low.” Oracle’s voice echoes in their minds. She’s hovering above them in Necronomicon, watching out for any further enemies. “Can someone heal him?!”

The roar of the shadow reminds them of the pressing danger.

“We’ll need to take care of the enemy first,” says Mona, readying his sword.

Queen nods and shifts into a battle stance. “If we distract it, the others should be able to treat Skull’s wounds. Joker, can you stand?”

Joker doesn’t move.

“…Joker?”

Joker _can’t_ move. It’s as if his body’s frozen in place. The only thing he can hear is his heartbeat, as loud as a thunder in his ears.

The shadow charges forward suddenly. There are yells of, “It’s coming!” and “Get ready!” but Akira doesn’t hear them. His whole body jolts as his head rises, moving like a broken marionette.

And something inside him snaps.

He rushes towards the shadow, diving right past Queen and Mona and ignoring their cries of alarm. His gun is drawn and he shoots at the shadow with no hesitation. Pained, almost whimpering, the shadow moves as if to swipe at him, but Joker is faster. He can hear something roaring, something inside his head, but he pays it no heed and summons his Persona.

Something translucent and black rises tall—it almost looks like Arsene, but he hasn’t summoned that Persona in a long time. Moving as if by its own will, the twisted figure sinks its talons into the shadow and rips it in two.

The shadow vanishes, and with a flicker the distorted Persona disappears as well.

Joker sinks to his knees.

“Joker! Can you hear me?” Queen is at his side almost immediately, placing a hand on his shoulder. Joker tries to reply, but he can only manage a grunt as pain takes root in his head and blooms.

“That Persona… I’ve never seen anything like it,” Mona murmurs. Judging by his tone, this wasn’t exactly a good thing.

“Man, that thing was awesome!”

Joker’s head jerks up. Skull is standing, with some support from Fox. Grinning and looking only a little pale for someone who was close to death a moment ago, Skull stumbles out of Fox’s grasp and claps Joker on the back.

“Damn, you should summon that Persona more often! We’d reach the end of Mementos in no time flat with that thing on our side!”

“Skull…” Joker’s voice is just a little weak. He can see the concern seeping into his friends’ faces. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, man, I’m great! Panther patched me up. But, um…” Skull’s grin slips. “What about you? You don’t look too good.”

“I’m fine. I just… need to rest for a bit.”

“That Persona looked powerful,” Mona says, thoughtful. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re tired.”

“…Maybe we should go back.” Queen squeezes Joker’s shoulder. Joker tries to argue, but Queen looks him in the eye. “We’ve made plenty of progress today, Joker. There’s no use in exhausting ourselves.”

Joker clenches his hands, but he nods mutely. Queen gives him a relieved smile.

The return to Mementos’ entrance is an uneventful one. The Phantom Thieves discuss their plans for the next day. The car is full of the warm chatter of friends, safe from the chill of Mementos. And yet, Joker can only stare out the window. He gives short answers when prompted, and the Phantom Thieves share worried glances as his silence becomes difficult to ignore.

Even when they make it to the entrance, Joker gazes into the depths of Mementos. Mona tugs at his coat as the others linger by the exit, not wanting to leave without their leader.

“Hey, Joker?”

“Hm?”

“Is… something wrong?”

Joker looks down at Mona. His expression is unreadable.

“No. I’m just thinking.” Then Joker gives Mona a slight smile. “Come on, Morgana. Let’s go.”

Mona’s mood brightens at these words, and the two of them walk to the exist. However, even as they return to the real world, Joker stares into Mementos.

Something happened to him down there. Something had roared inside him, hungry, angry. When he saw Ryuji hurt, Joker wanted nothing more than to rip apart every shadow he saw. No, not just that. He wanted to tear apart Mementos at its core, ruin the world that dared to hurt his friend. But he held it back. The anger was accompanied with fear—fear of how the others would react, fear of just how much that anger could destroy.

It is a monstrous anger sleeps inside his heart. And that scares Akira.

* * *

 

The mansion is grand, vast even under the endless night sky; the very definition of luxurious. The windows blare with a warm light, and from inside the sound of chatter and laughter rises like a fine mist. In a remote place such as this the partygoers don’t expect to be disturbed. But eyes watch the mansion from the shadows. If someone glanced out the window they might have seen a cat-like figure step towards the light.

“Okay. This is it.”

“Maaaaan, look at this place.” Skull’s voice is full of awe. “This is classier than Shido’s Palace! You could fit, like, ten of them in here!”

“You’re using Palaces as a unit of measurement?” Fox gives a thoughtful hum as he stands next to Skull. “Yes, I see… You could have a thousand Futabas in this building and still have room for more…”

“Er, measuring with Futaba is much weirder than measuring with Palaces…”

“Hey, Noir, what do you think?” Panther asks with a grin.

“Hmm… You could definitely fit more than a thousand Futabas in this building…”

“Not that! You must’ve seen lots of mansions like this, right? How does it measure up?”

“Oh, um…” Noir flounders slightly, a pink blush rising in her cheeks. “This mansion is really lovely, but I also think it’s a little exaggerated. I haven’t seen any mansions this big before. This is probably just what the ruler _thinks_ a mansion should look like.”

“You mean there’s nothing like this in real life?” Skull sounds almost sad. Noir panics further.

“Th-there might be! There could be a mansion out there that’s exactly like this!”

“Hey, you guys!” Futaba pops her head out of Necronomicon, her hair falling past her head as she hangs upside down. _She’s like a bat,_ everyone thinks, but no one says it out loud. “Keep your voices down. There’s tons of shadows in there, and they seem pretty restless.”

“Ugh. I was afraid of that,” Mona mumbles, catching Queen’s attention.

 “Mona, I think it’s time you told us more about this mission.”

The other Phantom Thieves nod, looking at Mona expectantly.

Skull kicks at the dirt. “We don’t even know who the target is. You just told us there was a new one. You had the keywords ready and everything.”

“More importantly,” Panther says, frowning, “Where’s Joker?”

It’s the question on everyone’s minds. _Where is Joker_. Their dependable leader. They have never entered a Palace without him, and they don’t plan to start now.

“Joker’s… Um…” Morgana’s eyes widen in panic. “He’s got a bad stomach. He’s been stuck in bed all day. But he said we could enter the Palace on our own, so…”

“Liar.” Futaba peers out from Necronomicon again. “I saw Joker this morning. He was fine.”

“W-well…”

“He didn’t mention anything about being sick in the group chat either,” Queen says.

“That’s because… um…”

“This whole situation is very bizarre,” Fox murmurs. “We’ve been sent to a Palace with no information and no leader. Is there something else going on, Mona?”

“Okay, spill it, Mona.” Skulls grabs Mona off the ground, who squawks indignantly. “Whose heart is this? What are you trying to make us do?”

“Hey! Let go of me!”

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it, Mona-chan?” Mona freezes in response to Noir’s question. “That’s why you didn’t tell us anything. You were scared about how we would react.” Her gaze is determined, but also somewhat sad. “Please tell us, Mona-chan! If it’s something to do with Joker, then we need to know!”

“Besides, I’m not going to change someone’s heart if I know nothing about them,” Panther adds. “We set up the unanimous rule for a reason. It’s pointless if you don’t tell us about the target.”

Still in Skull’s grip, Mona sighs. “I… was hoping we’d be inside the Palace before I had to say anything.”

“If that was your plan, then you need to come up with some better lies,” Skull says, grinning. “Your acting’s worse than Panther’s.”

Mona says nothing, and Panther glares. The one who breaks the silence is Futaba.

“This is _his_ Palace, isn’t it?” she says, her voice quiet. “This is Akira’s heart.”

Everyone processes her words slowly. Skull is the first to react, with something close to a laugh.

“What? Are you kidding me? He’s the last person who’d have a Palace! Right, Mona?” Skull expects the usual taunting answers from Mona, but he simply lowers his head. “…Right?”

Noir stares at Mona. “Th-that can’t be…”

“N… No way.” Panther puts a hand to her mouth.

“Mona, didn’t you say Palaces couldn’t form in Persona users?” Fox asks, his voice confused. “Because… They have conquered their inner shadow, if I remember correctly?”

“But Joker does have more than one Persona,” Queen muses. “His heart might work a little differently from an average Persona-user.”

“But this is Akira we’re talking about!” Skull counters, close to desperate. “There’s no way he’d let his heart get distorted!”

“No, it’s true.” Mona shakes his head, sadly. “This is the Palace of Akira Kurusu.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay, it sure did take me a while to update. I'm really sorry about that, everyone. A lot of stuff was going on, but also, when I saw all the people commenting... I got really scared? I mean, of course, I was super happy, but I was also terrified I'd let everyone down. So, since my automatic reponse to anxiety is to freeze up and do nothing, I didn't get a lot of writing done. I'm a cheery person, as you can see.  
> Because I'm still new to this website, I didn't click the, 'this work has multiple chapters box', so for a while this fic was listed as only have 1/1 chapters. I'm sorry about that. Pretty sure I've fixed it now.  
> Also, the first chapter has now been tweaked and edited slightly with help from AO3 user obstinateRixatrix. You should read her fics, they're awesome!  
> Anyway, thank you for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to update much quicker next time.

Tension is heavy in the air, hanging above their heads like a guillotine. Reactions vary: some stare in horror at the mansion, some look away in grim acceptance, and one—Skull—swears.

“Shit… I just— I didn’t— …Shit!”

“This gaudy mansion is Joker’s heart?” Panther can only shake her head.

“How could this have happened?” asks Noir, sounding impossibly sad. “We… we have to steal the heart of our own leader?”

Queen stands tall, a calm authority figure. Her voice holds only the slightest crack when she speaks.

“A Palace ruler isn’t always evil. Their desires are just distorted. Remember Futaba’s Palace?”

Oracle manages to hold her gaze steady, despite the glances in her direction. She has jumped down from Necronomicon for this discussion, letting the Persona dissipate behind her.

“If this is Joker’s heart, could that mean this is his distorted view of LeBlanc?” Fox asks.

“That’s right,” Mona says. “This time, the keywords were ‘Akira Kurusu,’ ‘LeBlanc,’ and ‘Mansion.’”

“And why didn’t you tell us, Mona?” Oracle’s voice is grumpy. “Were you really planning on sending us into Joker’s heart without saying anything?”

“It’s not like I wanted to trick you or anything. I just… I didn’t think you’d come here otherwise. You’d wouldn’t believe me, or you’d outright refuse to go anywhere near Joker’s heart. I wanted to show you first, so you’d see the extent of the distortions.”

“I guess it’s hard to deny it when it’s right in front of us…” Panther mutters.

“But even if his heart’s distorted,” Skull interjects, “in the end it’s still Akira. Our _friend_. Stealing the heart of some shitty adult is fine, but Akira’s done nothing but help all of us. How do you expect us to be okay with this at all?”

“I don’t. And neither did Joker.” Before anyone can react, Mona pulls out an envelope and hands it to Queen. It’s addressed to the Phantom Thieves. Queen recognises Akira’s handwriting—she saw it plenty of times when she was investigating him, as she searched through past records and exam papers. With a tentative grip, Queen opens the envelope and reads the letter aloud. She can feel everyone’s eyes on her.

_“To the Phantom Thieves,_

_I have a new target for you. As I’m sure you know by now, my heart has a Palace. Please go into the depths of my Palace and take my Treasure._

_I want to go with you, but a Persona-user entering his own Palace could make things complicated. Therefore, I must ask you do this without me. I believe in all of you._

_I can imagine all of you are reluctant to do this. Some of you, namely Ryuji, might say there’s no reason to steal my heart. But I’ve seen first-hand what people with distorted hearts can become. I don’t want to be everything I hate. If a distortion is growing in my heart, then I want to burn it down to the roots._

_There’s a lot I haven’t shared with you. It’s selfish of me to make you face all the feelings and desires I’ve tried to supress. I’m sorry._

_My heart is in your hands,_

_Akira Kurusu."_

Queen closes her eyes. The other Phantom Thieves are silent, staring at their feet, the sky, each other—anything except the mansion.

“He… _wants_ us to do this?” Skull croaks.

“Do you guys remember the last time we went into Mementos?” Mona asks.

“You must be referring to that strange Persona Joker summoned,” Fox muses. “Could that have been the result of his distorted heart?”

“Most likely. After that, I asked Akira what happened. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. And…  he told me he entered his name into the Nav, and he got a hit.” Mona sighs. He looks almost deflated, his usual bravado absent. “I thought he was joking at first. But he showed me the Nav, and there was no way I could deny it. Akira Kurusu has a Palace.”

“But then, what’s with all the Shadows?” pipes up Oracle. “They seem really on edge: they’ll definitely attack us on sight. If Joker wants us to do this, why’s the security so high?”

“Actually, your Palace was a little similar,” Queen tells her. “Even though you asked us to take your heart, the Shadows were hostile and we constantly faced resistance. We assumed it was because you were so used to pushing people away.”

“Joker’s pretty friendly, but he doesn’t really talk about himself a lot,” Panther adds. She twists a strand of hair around her finger. “Even though we’ve been through so much together, sometimes I feel like I have no idea what goes on in his head. That might have something to do with his Palace being so guarded.”

“The idea of having your heart stolen is probably scary,” Noir says, clasping her hands at her chest. “He asked us to take his heart, but that still means seeing all his most private desires and thoughts, and then ripping them out at the source. I think it’s almost impossible not to feel apprehensive.”

Mona nods. “I think you’re both right. Regardless of the reason, Joker’s Palace is on high alert. Stealing the treasure won’t be easy.” Then he looks away. “If any of you want to leave, I won’t stop you. I don’t want to force any of you to do this. I… I know how difficult all of this must be.”

Glances are exchanged between the Phantom Thieves. They can leave. The exit is right there, an invitingly escape route suddenly no one can ignore. If they leave, they can turn away and pretend this never happened. No one will judge them for leaving, no one will ask them why or convince them otherwise. There’s nothing forcing them to steal their leader’s heart.

Then Skull grins.

“The Phantom Thieves never back down from a challenge,” he says, brandishing his weapon with the reckless arrogance only Skull can manage. He shrugs at the sight of the others’ incredulous gazes. “What? Yeah, I’m not happy about stealing Joker’s heart. Yeah, I’m pissed I didn’t notice he has a Palace. But when you get down to it, Joker needs our help. He has some big distortion growing in his heart and he wants us to get rid of it. I say we do what he wants and tear that Palace down!”

“Weren’t you the one freaking out about this the most?” Mona grumbles, but he says it with a smile.

Everyone shares a look, and they all nod. Smile. Turn to the mansion. Their minds are made up, their resolve set.

* * *

 

The large, elegant front door is locked, of course. While just waltzing in would have made things easier, that isn’t the Phantom Thief way. Instead, the 7 of them circle the mansion, lingering in the shadows and bushes, until they stumble upon an open window. It’s high up and a little small, but no one is deterred. First Mona jumps up and scouts the potential infiltration route. After he gives them the okay, they all climb up, one at a time, and leap into the darkness.

Each one lands with the lightest of thumps; just in case, they keep low and hide behind what seems to be stacks of boxes. Everyone relaxes as they realise no one heard their entrance.

“So, uh, where are we?” Skull breaks the silence. The room is dim and cluttered and dusty, the only light coming from an ajar door on the other side. From this door comes the sounds of chatter and laughter, and clinking glasses and clattering plates.

“It must be a storage room,” answers Queen. “Come on, let’s go. We won’t accomplish anything if we stay here.”

Queen seems to have stepped into the leader role in Joker’s absence. No one argues against this: Queen has always been a strong authority figure in her own right. They can’t help but watch her with sympathy as she keeps her voice steady. Quick-thinking Joker always makes it look easy, but it's a heavy burden when your decisions can mean life or death for your closest friends.

Outside the storage room is a bright, large hallway, just as grand as the exterior. The carpet is a deep red and stretches both right and left, and the expensive ornaments decorating the hall have been polished to shine. The delicious smell of cooking curry wafts from a nearby room, most likely the kitchen.

“What now?” Panther points to the right. “It sounds like there’s less people down there. Maybe that's where we should start our investigation?”

“We still lack a lot of information on how this Palace works,” says Fox. He hums and looks in the opposite direction, towards the gentle sound of music and conversation. “They're holding a rather lavish party in the ballroom. We might be able to retrieve some intel, if we’re careful.”

“Good idea, Fox.” Mona turns to the others. “Are there any objections?”

There were none. Together, the Phantom Thieves hurry down the hallway. It doesn’t take long for them to reach an open doorway, which leads into an extended balcony sitting above an almost gigantic room. It’s the type of ballroom you would find in a movie, with huge, glittering windows fixed on the walls, a floor clean enough you can see your reflection in it, and a crowd of people talking and gossiping and dancing to the piano music in the air. Each person is dressed in extravagant clothing, a mask covering every person’s face.

“A masquerade ball,” Queen murmurs.

“A big fancy party in a ballroom, huh…” Skull grins, his excitement not unlike a puppy who has seen the sea for the first time. “Man, I can’t believe this place is meant to be LeBlanc!”

“That’s actually a good point,” Panther says. “I mean, LeBlanc’s far from fancy, and Joker’s cooped up in that dusty attic. Why does he see it as a mansion?”

"Because it serves the best curry in the world?" Oracle offers.

“Remember, Kamoshida saw your school as a castle,” Mona points out.

“Yeah, but that shitty bastard thought he owned the place,” counters Skull. “It’s not like Akira thinks he’s in charge of LeBlanc.” He glances down at the continuing ball, and remembers his best friend harboured a Palace without him realising. “I mean, I don’t _think_ he does.”

“Um… Maybe LeBlanc is much nicer than his parents’ home, so it seems like a mansion in comparison?” Noir wonders aloud.

“Somehow, I doubt that…” Queen shakes her head, and turns to the end of the balcony. It circles all around the room, a railing stopping anyone from falling, and at the front two sets of stairs wind down to the floor: a clear route to the ballroom bellow. “We should move. Someone might notice us if we linger too long.”

However, this warning was said too late. Before they reach the stairs, a commanding voice calls out, “Intruders! Halt!” and then shadows rise from the floor on all side. Their attire is similar to butlers and chefs and maids—fitting for a mansion—with brightly coloured masks obscuring their faces. Even with the 7 of them together, defeating all of them will be difficult.

The biggest shadow steps forward. From the way it glowers at them, it’s clear the shadows aren’t looking for a friendly chat.

“Leave this place at once, thieves,” the shadow says, its voice somewhat human despite its appearance. At its command the other shadows begin to close in, and Queen braces herself, her mind racing for a strategy that will get them out of the coming battle unscathed—

“ _Stop!”_

And everyone freezes. Queen’s eyes widen, because she knows that voice, even if it hides a layer of distortion. Slowly, the shadows part like butter to a knife, turning towards the source of the shout, and there stands Akira Kurusu. …No, that’s not right. He’s clearly not the real Akira. A dark mask rests on his face, and his expensive clothes are a mixed with red and black, similar to Arsene. His eyes burn with a familiar yellow light. Clearly, the Phantom Thieves are faced with Akira’s shadow.

He strides forward easily, and the shadows step back slightly. It’s obvious who is in charge.

“These are…” The shadow Akira waves his hand, as if trying to pluck a word from the air. Though his yell was tinged with desperation, his posture is casual and he wears a smile. “…My guests. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring them any harm.”

Quickly, eager to leave, the shadows bow their heads and vanish. The Phantom Thieves continue to stare at Akira’s shadow.

“Sorry about that,” he says smoothly.

“Hmph. You clearly need a word with your staff if this is how they treat guests!” Oracle chides him, but she stands guarded, almost hunched over. It’s hard to predict what the shadow Akira will do—anything could be hiding underneath their friend’s smile.

“Why is everyone so tense?” the shadow Akira asks. “This is a party, you know. You should be having fun.”

Queen steps forward. She stands tall with her arms at her side, ignoring her conflicting emotions.

“Joker… Do you know why we’re here?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Very well, then. Please direct us to your Treasure.”

The shadow Akira seems almost surprise. Then he laughs and laughs, and Queen keeps her expression even.

“Oh, Queen. Direct as ever,” he says, wiping a pretend tear from his eye. “Now then. Can I take you to the Treasure? Yes, I can.”

Despite everything, relief surges through Queen. “Thank you. Then, please—“

“But,” Akira holds up a gloved hand, “That doesn’t mean I will.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Panther is the first to speak. “You _want_ us to steal your heart, right?”

“True, that’s what the real me said. However, what I want, and what he thinks he wants, are not necessarily the same thing.”

“Dude, what the hell! Just take us to the damn Treasure!” yells Skull.

Mona looks at the shadow Akira with sad eyes. “Then, are you going to try to stop us, Joker?”

“I didn’t say that.” Once again, the Phantom Thieves find themselves blinking at the shadow Akira. “You can explore this mansion to your hearts’ content. I won’t hinder your efforts in any way. The shadows won’t attack you, either. However…” His voice goes low, a quiet yet serious murmur. “Certain areas aren’t open to my guests. Should you choose to venter inside these sections, then I won’t be able to vouch for your safety.”

Barely giving them time to process this information, Akira grins and jumps onto the railing. “I wish all of you the best of luck,” he says, before taking a step back and letting himself fall. The Phantom Thieves scramble to the side, panicked, but Akira has vanished. Shadow or not, Akira remains a reckless show-off.

“What an arrogant shadow,” Fox says. Everyone agrees.


End file.
